Apparatus and method for forming inflated containers

ABSTRACT

An apparatus for forming inflated containers from a film web having two juxtaposed film plies includes: a. a mechanism that conveys the film web along a path of travel; b. a first sealing device for producing one or more seals that bond the film plies together to form a container having at least one opening; c. an inflation assembly for inflating the container by directing a stream of gas into the opening thereof; and d. a second sealing device for sealing closed the opening of the inflated container.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to inflated containers and, moreparticularly, to a simplified and improved apparatus and process forproducing gas-inflated cushions for packaging.

Various apparatus and methods for forming inflated cushions or pillowsare known. Such inflated containers are used to package items, bywrapping the items in the cushions and placing the wrapped items in ashipping carton, or simply placing one or more inflated containersinside of a shipping carton along with an item to be shipped. Thecushions protect the packaged item by absorbing impacts that mayotherwise be fully transmitted to the packaged item during transit, andalso restrict movement of the packaged item within the carton to furtherreduce the likelihood of damage to the item.

Conventional machines for forming inflated cushions tend to be ratherlarge, expensive and complex, and produce cushions at a rate which isslower than would be desired. While smaller, less-expensive inflationmachines have been developed more recently, such machines generally makeonly one cushion-size at a time, i.e., they are not capable of producingadjacent cushions having different dimensions from the same web of film,because such machines generally operate with film webs having pre-formedcontainers. That is, the speed and relative simplicity of such smaller,less-complex inflation machines generally relies on the use ofinflatable film webs in which much of the container-producing operationhas been performed prior to placement on the machine, so that theinflation machine simply inflates and seals the pre-formed containers.The disadvantage of this approach is that the pre-formed containers havea predetermined size. Thus, if different-sized cushions are desired, adifferent inflatable web must be installed on the machine, which resultsin the interruption of the cushion-making operation. Even then, it isstill not possible to produce adjacent cushions of different sizes on areal-time basis.

Accordingly, there is a need in the art for a simpler and less expensiveapparatus for producing gas-filed packaging cushions, yet one that alsoproduces cushions at a relatively high rate of speed and has the abilityto produce cushions of various sizes on a real-time basis.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Those needs are met by the present invention, which, in one aspect,provides an apparatus for making inflated containers from a film webhaving two juxtaposed film plies, comprising:

a. a mechanism that conveys the film web along a path of travel;

b. a first sealing device for producing one or more seals that bond thefilm plies together to form a container having at least one opening;

c. an inflation assembly for inflating the container by directing astream of gas into the opening thereof; and

d. a second sealing device for sealing closed the opening of theinflated container.

Significantly, the first sealing device moves with the film web andproduces the seals as the web is conveyed along the travel path. In thismanner, container-size can be varied as desired without having to changefilm rolls, with no sacrifice in production speed. Moreover, the movablesealing device allows inflated containers of varying dimension to beproduced, so that two or more adjacent containers in the film web canhave different dimensions. Compound cushions comprising two or moreinflated containers of two or more different sizes can thereby beproduced.

Another aspect of the invention is directed to a device for producing alongitudinal seal between two juxtaposed plies of film that are conveyedalong a longitudinal path of travel, wherein the juxtaposed film pliesinclude a series of containers therebetween. The device comprises:

a. a sealing mechanism that forms a sealing zone in the travel path inwhich the longitudinal seal is produced; and

b. a pressure mechanism that forms a pressure zone in the travel path inwhich the juxtaposed film plies are compressed. The pressure zone ispositioned between the containers and the sealing zone to substantiallyisolate the containers from the sealing zone. Such isolation has beenfound to result in superior longitudinal seals.

A further aspect of the invention is directed to an apparatus for makinginflated containers from a film web as described above, except that thefirst sealing device produces a series of transverse seals that bond thefilm plies together to form containers having a predetermined transversewidth, wherein such containers have at least one change in longitudinaldimension along their transverse width.

These and other aspects and features of the invention may be betterunderstood with reference to the following description and accompanyingdrawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING

FIG. 1 is a schematic perspective view of an apparatus for forminginflated containers, e.g., inflated cushions, in accordance with thepresent invention;

FIGS. 2-4 are similar to FIG. 1, except that they illustrate differentstages in the cushion-making process;

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the movable sealing device shown inFIGS. 1-4;

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of one half of the movable sealing deviceshown in FIG. 5;

FIG. 7 is a perspective view of the other half of the movable sealingdevice shown in FIG. 5;

FIG. 8 is a side elevational view of the movable sealing device shown inFIG. 5 with a film web positioned between the two halves of the device;

FIG. 9 is similar to FIG. 8, but shows the two halves of the sealingdevice clamped together with the film web therebetween;

FIG. 10 illustrates an alternative embodiment of the invention, whereinthe movable sealing device is conveyed independently of, but preferablyin synchronization with, the mechanism that conveys the film web;

FIG. 11 is a perspective view of the film conveyance mechanism andsecond/stationary sealing device illustrated in FIG. 1;

FIG. 12 is a front elevational view of the film conveyance mechanism andsecond/stationary sealing device illustrated in FIG. 11; in this view,the discharge end of the inflation nozzle, which is shown from the rearin FIG. 1, is also shown;

FIG. 13 is a magnified view of the inflation nozzle shown in FIG. 12;

FIG. 14 illustrates an alternative embodiment of the invention, whereinmultiple longitudinal sealing devices are employed to create multiplecompartments in each cushion;

FIG. 15 is a perspective view of the cushion produced from the apparatusillustrated in FIG. 14;

FIG. 16 is a perspective view of a pair of cushions in accordance withthe present invention, wherein such cushions are shown in aconfiguration in which they may be used to protect an article to bepackaged, and wherein each cushion comprises inflated containers ofvarying dimension, with two or more adjacent containers in the cushionhaving different dimensions;

FIG. 17 is a perspective view of a cushion-making apparatus inaccordance with the present invention in a typical packagingapplication, wherein an article to be packaged is placed in a box andpositioned beneath the apparatus to collect a desired number of cushionsto protect the article;

FIG. 18 is similar to FIG. 17, except that the box and article arepositioned on a conveyor belt beneath the cushion-making apparatus;

FIG. 19 illustrates another use for the inventive cushion-makingapparatus, in which a string of cushions are formed and stored for lateruse on a storage roll;

FIG. 20 illustrates yet another application for the inventivecushion-making apparatus, in which the relativelyhigh-speed/high-capacity attributes of the apparatus are utilized tosupply large quantities of inflated cushions to various packagingstations by employing a separate support for a relatively large roll offilm web and by transporting the resulting string of cushions via anoverhead conveyor system;

FIG. 21 illustrates an alternative application for the inventiveapparatus in which the apparatus makes product containers having a lineof weakness to provide access to the inside of the container;

FIG. 22 is a perspective view of an alternative sealing device formaking a longitudinal seal;

FIG. 23 illustrates the lower-most rollers of the device shown in FIG.22;

FIG. 24 is a partial, cut-away perspective view of an inflated containerbeing sealed by the device shown in FIG. 22;

FIG. 25 is a perspective view of the device shown in FIG. 22 with aseries of containers being inflated and sealed closed;

FIG. 26 is a schematic plan view of the device shown in FIG. 22;

FIG. 27 is a perspective view of an alternative to the sealing deviceshown in FIG. 6; and

FIG. 28 is a perspective view of a cushion produced from the deviceillustrated in FIG. 27.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

FIGS. 1-4 illustrate an apparatus 10 for making inflated containers froma film web 12 having two juxtaposed film plies 14 and 16. Such inflatedcontainers may be used as cushions, e.g., for packaging and protectingarticles during shipment and storage. Other uses for the inflatedcontainers are also envisioned, e.g., as floatation devices ordecorative articles. Apparatus 10 generally includes a conveyingmechanism 18, a first sealing device 20, a second sealing device 22, andan inflation assembly 23.

Conveying mechanism 18 conveys film web 12 along a path of travelthrough apparatus 10 as shown. The “path of travel” (or “travel path”)of film web 12 simply refers to the route that the film web traverseswhile being conveyed through the apparatus, as indicated by the shapeassumed by the film web due to the manipulation thereof by the conveyingmechanism. Conveying mechanism 18 may include various conventionalfilm-guide and film-drive devices as desired, such as guide rollers 24,26 and nip rollers (also known as driver rollers) 28 a, b. Nip rollers28 a, b may be driven by motor 30 as shown. Film web 12 may be suppliedfrom any suitable source, such as a supply roll 31, from which the filmmay be unwound and pulled into apparatus 10 via conveying mechanism 18.

First sealing device 20 produces one or more seals 32 that bond the filmplies 14, 16 together to form a container 34 having at least one opening36. Seals 32 produced by first sealing device 20 preferably aretransverse heat seals, i.e., are oriented in a direction that issubstantially transverse, i.e., at an angle, to the direction of filmmovement along its travel path through apparatus 10. The spacing betweensuch transverse seals 32, therefore, determines the length dimension ofeach container. Accordingly, a series of containers 34 may be formed byforming a series of the transversely-oriented seals 32 via first sealingdevice 20.

Advantageously, first sealing device 20 is a movable sealing device,which is capable of moving with the film web 12 as the web is conveyedalong its travel path, e.g., by attaching itself to the web. In thismanner, the film web may continue moving at a constant speed through theapparatus 10 while seals 32 are formed. With conventional ‘form-fill’inflation devices, the film web has to be intermittently stopped toproduce transverse seals, which reduces the rate at which containers canbe formed. In accordance with the present invention, however, the filmweb 12 continues to move along the travel path without stopping as thefirst sealing device 20 produces the seals 32. Accordingly, even thoughthe apparatus 10 produces seals 32 on a real-time basis, i.e., does notrely on a film web having pre-formed seals (pre-formed containers) but,instead, produces transverse seals as part of the inflation process, thesealing process does not slow down the overall rate of speed at whichthe apparatus produces containers. This is because the first sealingdevice 20 is movable and moves at the same rate as the rate at which theconveying mechanism 18 causes the film web 12 to move through theapparatus 10. Thus, cushion-size can be varied as desired without havingto change film rolls, with no sacrifice in production speed. Moreover,as will be explained in further detail below, apparatus 10 is capable ofproducing inflated containers of varying dimension, such that two ormore adjacent containers in the film web have different dimensions. Inthis manner, cushions comprising two or more inflated containers of twoor more different sizes can be produced.

FIGS. 1-4 illustrate a typical cycle through which the first sealingdevice 20 moves as it completes a seal. This cycle will be brieflydescribed, followed by a more detailed description of the structuralcomponents that are depicted.

In FIG. 1, sealing device 20 is at the starting point in the cycle,wherein it is resting atop bottom stops 38 (only one shown in FIGS. 1-4)with clamping members 40 and 42 in the ‘open,’ i.e., non-clampedposition. Clamping members 40, 42 are components of sealing device 20.

In FIG. 2, sealing device 20 attaches itself to film web 12 as clampingmembers 40, 42 converge, as indicated by the arrows 41, to engageopposing surfaces of the film web. At the same time, film web 12 remainsin continuous motion along its travel path due to the conveyance thereofby conveying mechanism 18. Accordingly, by virtue of its attachment tothe moving film web, sealing device 20 is lifted off of bottom stops 38and moves in the direction of arrow 44, which may be in a generallyupward direction as shown in FIG. 2.

In FIG. 3, the sealing device 20 is at the end-point of its cycle, i.e.,the position in the cycle wherein it is farthest removed from itsstarting point. During its movement from the starting point to theend-point, the sealing device creates one of the seals 32. Theparticular seal 32 created in this cycle is shown in FIG. 4, and isdesignated 32′ for ease of reference.

In FIG. 4, seal 32′ has been formed and the sealing device 20 has movedwith film web 12 along the travel path for a predetermined amount ofdistance, corresponding to a predetermined cushion-length. Clampingmembers 40, 42 thus diverge, as indicated by the arrows 46, to releasesealing device 20 from the film web. The sealing device 20 then moves inthe direction of arrow 48 to return to the starting point in the cycle,as also shown in FIG. 1, wherein device 20 assumes a resting positionatop bottom stops 38. In this position, sealing device 20 is ready toagain engage the film web 12 in order to produce another seal 32therein. Such engagement may occur at a predetermined time, based on adesired length between seal 32′ and the next seal 32 to be formed, whichwill determine the length of the resultant cushion formed between seal32′ and the next seal 32 to be formed.

As noted above, and shown in more detail in FIGS. 5-7, the first sealingdevice includes a pair of clamping members 40, 42, between which passesfilm web 12. Each clamping member preferably includes a material thatfacilitates the engagement of each member with a thermoplastic film,e.g., via frictional engagement, such as elastomeric strips 50 as shown.Elastomeric strips 50 may be formed from any suitable material that iscapable of gripping a thermoplastic film, such as, e.g., elastomers suchas rubbers or silicone, materials providing a high coefficient offriction, such as knurled metal, or materials shaped to provide atortuous path to better grip the film. The strips may have any desiredshape, such as a circular cross-section as shown, and may extend overany desired portion of the contact face 52 and/or 53 of each respectiveclamping member 40 and/or 42, e.g., over substantially the entire widthof each clamping member as shown.

Any suitable mechanism may be employed for causing clamping members 40,42 to converge toward and diverge away from one another, such as a pairof actuators 54 as shown. Actuators 54 may be affixed to clamping member40 as shown, or to member 42, or to both (e.g., four separateactuators), and may be actuated pneumatically, hydraulically,electrically, mechanically, magnetically, electro-magnetically, etc., asdesired. As shown, actuators 54 are pneumatic, piston-type actuators,which include piston rods 56. The piston rods 56 are part of, and extendfrom, actuators 54, and are movable by the actuators in the direction ofarrow 58 in FIG. 5. The distal end of each of the piston rods 56 isattached to clamping member 42. Actuators 54 thus cause clamping member42 to move in the direction of arrow 58, thereby causing the clampingmembers 40, 42 to converge towards and diverge away from one another asdesired, i.e., in a manner that may be controlled.

Accordingly, as shown perhaps most clearly in FIGS. 8-9, clampingmembers 40, 42 are capable of engaging opposing surfaces of film web 12and exerting a compressive force to squeeze the film web between theclamping members, thereby attaching the first sealing device 20 to thefilm web.

FIG. 8 shows sealing device 20 in the ‘open position,’ whereby the filmweb passes between clamping members 40, 42 while the sealing deviceremains unengaged with the film web and, therefore, is stationary onbottom stops 38.

In FIG. 9, clamping members 40, 42 assume the ‘closed position’ byconverging, i.e., moving together in the direction of arrows 60. In sodoing, the clamping members 40, 42 squeeze film web 12 therebetween suchthat the sealing device 20 attaches itself to the film web. Suchattachment to the film web may be facilitated by elastomeric strips 50on clamping members 40, 42, which may be vertically off-set as shown.

If desired, apparatus 10 may include one or more guide rods 61, as shownin FIG. 5, to aid in controlling the movement of sealing device 20,particularly its return to the starting point of the cycle, afterdisengaging from film web 12, as shown in FIG. 4. The guide rods 61 mayextend through either clamping member, such as through openings 64 inclamping member 40, as illustrated in FIGS. 5 and 7.

As noted above, sealing device 20 produces seals 32. Such seals may beany type of seal that bonds two film plies together, such as a heatseal, adhesive seal, cohesive seal, etc., with heat seals beingpreferred. A heat seal, or heat weld, may be formed when the film plies14, 16 are brought into contact with one another and sufficient heat isapplied to one or both films in one or more predetermined segments suchthat at least a portion of each heated film segment becomes molten andintermixes with the other heated segment. Upon cooling, the heatedsegments of the two film plies become bound together.

Accordingly, one or both of clamping members 40, 42 may contain one ormore sealing elements. For example, clamping member 42 may contain apair of sealing elements 62 a and 62 b, which are disposed on contactface 53 of the clamping member 42, as shown in FIGS. 6 and 8-9. Suchsealing elements 62 a, b will produce corresponding first and secondtransverse seals 32 a, b (see FIG. 1). Sealing elements 62 a, b may beresistive elements, which produce heat when electricity is suppliedthereto (source not shown), and can have any desired shape orconfiguration. As shown, elements 62 a, b are in the form ofsubstantially parallel wires, which produce a pair of substantiallyparallel heat seals 32 a, b in film web 12 when brought into contacttherewith. This may be accomplished, as shown in FIG. 9, while the firstsealing device 20 is in the ‘closed position,’ which presses the sealingelements 62 a, b into contact with film web 12. Thus, sealing device 20may produce the seals 32 a, b simultaneously while the device isattached to film web 12 as the web is conveyed along the travel path.

In addition to the substantially linear seals 32 that are depicted inthe drawings, other shapes and patterns, may also be formed, such assubstantially non-linear seals, seals with a combination of linear andnon-linear segments, etc. Thus, for example, an alternative to firstsealing device 20 may include a clamping member 216 as shown in FIG. 27,which may be used to produce a seal pattern as shown in FIG. 28.Clamping member 216 includes a substantially linear sealing element 218having one or more non-linear regions 220. The resultant containers haveat least one change in longitudinal dimension along their transversewidth. This alternative embodiment is described in further detail below.

If necessary or desired, a heat transfer medium may be placed betweenthe sealing elements 62 a, b and the film web 12, such as a coating ofPTFE, e.g., TEFLON tape, polyester, or other material capable ofwithstanding the heat from the sealing elements and transferring thesame to the film web in a sufficient amount to create seals 32.

Upon completion of the individual containers 34, their separation fromone another and/or from film web 12 may be facilitated by including aline of weakness 66 between adjacent containers (see FIGS. 1-4).Accordingly, apparatus 10 may further include a device for forming oneor more lines of weakness between each container or between groups oftwo or more containers. Such a device, for example, may be incorporatedinto or onto, e.g., affixed to, first sealing device 20 in order to forma line of weakness 66 between the first and second transverse seals 32a, b of adjacent containers 34.

A suitable device for creating line of weakness 66 is a perforationblade 68, which is capable of producing a perforation-type line ofweakness (see FIGS. 7-9). Perforation blade 68 may be affixed to eitheror both of the clamping members 40, 42. As illustrated, perforationblade 68 is affixed to clamping member 40, e.g., via fasteners 70 (seeFIG. 5). Blade 68 may be serrated as shown. A corresponding slot 72 maybe provided in clamping member 42. Preferably, slot 72 is suitablydimensioned and aligned with blade 68 such that, when clamping members40, 42 converge into the closed position as shown in FIG. 9, the leadingedge 74 of perforation blade 68 enters into and is received by slot 72.In this manner, the pointed serrations on the leading edge 74 ofperforation blade can penetrate through the film web 12 to create aperforation-type line of weakness. As shown, slot 72 and blade 68 may bepositioned between sealing elements 62 a, b such that, upon convergenceof clamping members 40, 42, the resultant line of weakness 66 ispositioned between the resultant first and second transverse seals 32 a,b.

Advantageously, the creation of a line of weakness 66 in the foregoingmanner occurs substantially simultaneously with the creation of seals32, i.e., while sealing device 20 is attached to film web 12. However,line of weakness 66 could also be formed in a separate step, e.g., witha perforation device that is separately positioned and independentlyoperated from first sealing device 20 if desired.

FIGS. 1-4 show each container 34 separated by a line of weakness 66.However, if desired, fewer numbers of weakness lines 66 may be employedsuch that not every container is separated from an adjacent container bya line of weakness. For example, perforation blade 68 could beindependently operated and/or separately positioned to create lines ofweakness between any desired number of containers, e.g., between everyother container, every third container, every tenth container, etc. Thismay be desirable when making complex cushions containing groups of twoor more inflated containers, e.g., having two or more sizes.

With continuing reference to FIGS. 1-4, it may be seen that firstsealing device 20 attaches itself to film web 12 at a starting position(FIG. 1), produces one or more seals 32 while attached to the film webas the web is conveyed along the travel path (FIGS. 2-3), thendisengages from the film web and returns to the starting position (FIG.4). As illustrated, sealing device 20 is conveyed along the film'stravel path by being attached to, and therefore transported by, film web12, with no separate mechanism to cause the sealing device 20 to move inthis manner. That is, by virtue of the attachment of sealing device 20to film web 12, conveying mechanism 18 moves both the film web andsealing device 20 along the travel path. This is advantageous from thestandpoint of cost and simplicity. As also illustrated, sealing device20 returns to the starting position by force of gravity, i.e., with noseparate mechanism to cause the sealing device 20 to return to itsstarting position. This is also advantageous for reasons of cost andsimplicity.

However, in some applications, it may be desirable to provide amechanism that separately conveys the first sealing device. Such amechanism is illustrated in FIG. 10, wherein an alternate first sealingdevice 76 is illustrated, which includes clamping members 78, 80 and adrive mechanism 82. Clamping members 78, 80 operate in a similar manneras clamping members 40, 42 as described above, except that they areattached to drive chain 84, which is part of drive mechanism 82, viacouplings 86. Drive mechanism 82 also includes a motor 88, whichrotatably drives chain 84 in the direction of the arrows 90, and therebyalso moves clamping members 78, 80 in the direction of arrows 90, e.g.,upwards and downwards as shown. While clamping members 78, 80 may becapable of converging upon film web 12, they do not need to attachthemselves to the web. That is, instead of being pulled along solely bythe film web, clamping members 78, 80 are separately conveyed by drivemechanism 82, preferably at a speed that is substantially the same asthe speed at which the film web is conveyed. In this manner, clampingmembers 78, 80 still travel with the film web while making transverseseals. However, attachment to the film web is not required. Instead, theclamping members need only come into sufficiently close proximity to thefilm web to effect a seal therein. When the clamping members 78, 80reach the upper reach of their travel (shown in phantom in FIG. 10),they diverge to release film web 12. At that point, a transverse sealhaving been made (not shown in FIG. 10), the clamping members 78, 80return to the starting position. In one embodiment, couplings 86 arereleasable from drive chain 84, and return to the starting position byforce of gravity upon their release from the drive chain. The couplingsthen re-engage the drive chain in preparation to make the next seal.Alternatively, motor 88 can be caused to reverse its rotation to drivethe clamping members back to the starting position, in which casecouplings 86 remain in attachment with drive chain 84.

If desired, motor 88 can drive both the conveyance mechanism for thefilm web and the conveyance mechanism for the sealing device 76, i.e.,as a shared power source, via suitable mechanical linkage (e.g., gears,belts, and/or chains) to both conveyance mechanisms from the motor 88.

Many configurations for film web 12 are possible. As illustrated inFIGS. 1-4, film web 12 may have a closed longitudinal edge 98 and anopposing open longitudinal edge 100. Open longitudinal edge 100 providesthe openings 36 into the containers 34. Closed longitudinal edge 98 maybe formed by ‘center-folding’ film web 12 at edge 98 such that each offilm plies 14, 16 have substantially the same dimension. Suitablecenter-folding devices and methods are well-known in the art.Center-folding may be performed at any desired time, e.g., shortly afterthe film is produced and/or just before being wound onto supply roll 31.Alternatively, a center-folding device may be added to or used withapparatus 10 at some point downstream of supply roll 31. Such anaddition would allow film web 12 to be provided on supply roll 31 as aflat sheet, which would then be converted to a center-folded film byapparatus 10 as a part of the cushion-making process.

As a further alternative, separate film plies 14, 16 may be juxtaposedand sealed together along adjacent longitudinal side edges, e.g., viaheat-sealing, to form closed longitudinal edge 98. As a furtheralternative, film web 12 may be a flattened tube, i.e., with twoopposing folded/closed longitudinal edges, wherein one of thelongitudinal edges is slit at some point ‘upstream’ of inflationassembly 23 to form open edge 100.

As used herein with reference to film web 12, the term “longitudinal”refers generally to the direction of conveyance of film web 12 throughapparatus 10 as indicated in the drawings; “longitudinal” alsocorresponds to the direction of the length dimension (longest dimension)of film web 12 as represented, e.g., by the longitudinally-extendingedges 98 and 100. “Transverse” refers generally to the width dimensionof the film web, which is at an angle, e.g., substantiallyperpendicular, to the longitudinal dimension of the film web.

Film web 12 may, in general, comprise any flexible material that can bemanipulated by apparatus 10 to enclose a gas as herein described,including various thermoplastic materials, e.g., polyethylenehomopolymer or copolymer, polypropylene homopolymer or copolymer, etc.Non-limiting examples of suitable thermoplastic polymers includepolyethylene homopolymers, such as low density polyethylene (LDPE) andhigh density polyethylene (HDPE), and polyethylene copolymers such as,e.g., ionomers, EVA, EMA, heterogeneous (Zeigler-Natta catalyzed)ethylene/alpha-olefin copolymers, and homogeneous (metallocene,single-cite catalyzed) ethylene/alpha-olefin copolymers.Ethylene/alpha-olefin copolymers are copolymers of ethylene with one ormore comonomers selected from C₃ to C₂₀ alpha-olefins, such as 1-butene,1-pentene, 1-hexene, 1-octene, methyl pentene and the like, in which thepolymer molecules comprise long chains with relatively few side chainbranches, including linear low density polyethylene (LLDPE), linearmedium density polyethylene (LMDPE), very low density polyethylene(VLDPE), and ultra-low density polyethylene (ULDPE). Various otherpolymeric materials may also be used such as, e.g., polypropylenehomopolymer or polypropylene copolymer (e.g., propylene/ethylenecopolymer), polyesters, polystyrenes, polyamides, polycarbonates, etc.The film may be monolayer or multilayer and can be made by any knownextrusion process by melting the component polymer(s) and extruding,coextruding, or extrusion-coating them through one or more flat orannular dies.

As noted above, the seals 32 produced by first sealing device 20preferably include first and second substantially transverse,spaced-apart seals 32 a and 32 b that define, along with closedlongitudinal edge 98 of film web 12, each of the containers 34. Asshown, the first and second transverse seals 32 a, b may extend from theclosed longitudinal edge 98 and terminate a predetermined distance fromthe open longitudinal edge 100 such that each of the juxtaposed filmplies 12, 14 have flanges 102 at the open longitudinal edge that are notbonded together. As shown, such flanges 102 extend along the openlongitudinal edge 100. Thus, flanges 102 are longitudinally extendingedge sections of film plies 12, 14 that extend beyond the ends 104 ofseals 32 and, therefore, are not bonded together, i.e., by seals 32 orany other means. The purpose for such flanges is explained immediatelybelow. However, it is to be understood that the present invention is notlimited to film webs having such un-bonded flanges, as many otherconfigurations are possible, e.g., edge 100 could be a closed edge,thereby forming an inflation channel that extends longitudinally betweenends 104 and such closed edge.

As explained hereinabove, apparatus 10 further includes an inflationassembly 23 for inflating the containers 34, and a second sealing device22 for sealing closed the opening of each inflated container 92. Theinflation assembly 23 inflates the containers 34 by directing a streamof gas, indicated by arrow 94, into the opening 36 of each container.Inflation assembly 23 includes a nozzle 96 from which the stream of gas94 exits the inflation assembly (see FIGS. 12-13). As shown in FIGS.1-4, nozzle 96 may protrude into the open longitudinal edge 100 tofacilitate the inflation of containers 34. This may be accomplished,e.g., by sequentially moving the nozzle into and out of the openings 36of each container 34 to inflate the containers as they move past thenozzle, which may require intermittent movement of film web 12.

Alternatively, when film web 12 contains flanges 102 as described above,at least a portion of the nozzle 96 may be positionable between theflanges 102 so that, as conveying mechanism 18 conveys the web along thetravel path, the nozzle moves longitudinally between the flanges. Inthis manner, nozzle 96 may remain in a fixed position while film web 12moves continuously past the nozzle. Inflation assembly 23 also includesa conduit (not shown) or other means to supply gas, e.g., air, nitrogen,carbon dioxide, etc., to inflation nozzle 96.

As shown most clearly in FIGS. 1-4, second sealing device 22 forms athird, substantially longitudinal seal 106 that intersects the first andsecond transverse seals 32 a, b, thereby sealing closed the opening 36of each inflated container 92. In this manner, gas 94 is sealed insidethe containers. This essentially completes the process of makinginflated containers.

Many types of sealing devices are suitable for making longitudinal seal106. For example, second sealing device 22 may be embodied by a type ofdevice known as a ‘band sealer,’ which includes counter-rotating bands108 a, b; rollers 110 a-d to cause the counter-rotation of the bands 108a, b; and one or more heating blocks 112 a, b (see FIGS. 1-4 and 11-13).One or both of blocks 112 a, b may heated by any suitable means, such aselectrical resistance heating, fluid heating, etc. When brought intocontact with respective bands 108 a, b as shown in FIGS. 1-4, heat istransferred from the blocks to the bands to effect longitudinal seal106. Bands 108 a, b thus provide a heat-transfer medium between heatingblocks 112 a, b and film web 12. In addition, bands 108 a, b are urgedagainst one another via the positioning of rollers 110 a-d to form acompressive zone, between which film plies 14, 16 are compressed to bothfacilitate the formation of longitudinal seal 106 and to assist inconveying film web 12 through apparatus 10. Thus, the same motor 30 thatcauses the rotation of nip rollers 28 a, b may also cause the rotationof rollers 110 a-d, e.g., by being mechanically linked to rollers 28 aand 110 a as shown, which may, in turn, be mechanically linked torespective rollers 28 b and 110 b-d.

FIGS. 11-12 show heating blocks 112 a, b in a ‘non-heating position,’ inwhich the blocks are not in contact with respective bands 108 a, b. Suchposition may be advantageously employed when the apparatus 10 is in anidle mode, i.e., temporarily not producing inflated containers such thatbands 108 are not rotating. In this fashion, the second sealing device22 does not burn through film web 12, which could otherwise occur if theheating blocks remained in contact with the non-rotating bands 108which, in turn, remain in contact with a non-moving section of film web12. Thus, sealing device 22 may further include a mechanism to move theheating blocks 112 from the non-heating position shown in FIGS. 11-12 tothe ‘heating position’ shown in FIGS. 1-4, such as, e.g., actuators 114a, b and related linkage as shown in FIGS. 11-12. Instead or inaddition, an ‘idle’ or ‘non-heating position’ may also be achieved byproviding a controller to discontinue or reduce the heat generated byblocks 112.

An alternative sealing device which may be used for second sealingdevice 22 is a type of device known as a “drag sealer,” which includes astationary heating element that is placed in direct contact with a pairof moving film plies to create a continuous longitudinal seal. Suchdevices are disclosed, e.g., in U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,550,229 and 6,472,638,the disclosures of which are hereby incorporated herein by reference. Afurther alternative device for producing a continuous longitudinal edgeseal, which may be suitably employed for second sealing device 22,utilizes a heating element that is completely wrapped about the outercircumference of a cylinder, as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,376,219,the disclosure of which is hereby incorporated herein by reference.

An advantageous feature of apparatus 10 in accordance with the presentinvention is that such apparatus can make inflated containers ofsubstantially the same dimension or, if desired, the apparatus can makeinflated containers of varying dimension such that two or more adjacentcontainers in the film web have different dimensions. For example,inflated container 92′ can have a length L1 while adjacent container 92″can have a length L2 (see FIG. 1).

The apparatus can switch between these two modes (i.e., makingcontainers of the same length vs. making containers having different orvariable lengths) at will and within the same film web. Thus, theoperator does not have to change film webs to produce containers havingdifferent dimensions. Such differently-dimensioned containers may or maynot have lines of weakness therebetween, depending upon the desiredapplication for the resultant cushion. This ability to createdifferently-dimensioned containers results from fact that the firstsealing device 20 moves with, e.g., by attaching itself to, the film web12 as it makes seals 32. The sealing device can therefore be controlledsuch that it attaches to and releases from the film web at predeterminedspeeds or intervals, which can vary as desired to result in varyingcontainer-lengths, i.e., varying dimensions.

In some applications, manual control of first sealing device 20 may beappropriate, e.g., for relatively low-volume cushion production. Thismay be accomplished by manipulation of, e.g., an ‘open/close’ switch, orother manually operated control device “C” (represented schematically inFIG. 5) to control the flow of power from power source “P” to actuators54, which, as explained above, control the engagement (‘closedposition’) and disengagement (‘open position’) of first sealing device20. The operator can thus produce any desired container length, whichcan vary as necessary to optimally suit the end-use application.

For higher-volume applications, i.e., where a relatively large quantityof cushions are produced, automatic control may be preferable. Thus,control device “C” may be an automatic controller, such as aprogrammable logic controller or “PLC,” to control the actuation of thefirst sealing device 20. If employed, such automatic controller may bemade operative to cause the sealing device 20 to form the first andsecond transverse seals 32 a, b with a specified amount of spacingwithin a given container, thereby producing containers with a specifiedlength dimension. One manner of controlling such spacing between thetransverse seals is to use an encoder or other device to keep track ofthe revolutions of nip rollers 28 a and/or 28 b and, based on thediameter of the nip roller, convert the number of revolutions into theamount of film web 12 that has been conveyed per revolution, therebytracking the amount of film web 12 moving through apparatus 10. Withthis information, the controller causes sealing device 20 to release andengage the film web each time that a desired amount of film has beenconveyed since the last actuation of/seal-creation by the sealingdevice, thereby producing a desired length dimension in the resultantcushion by creating a seal with a desired amount of spacing from thepreviously-made seal.

For example, the controller could be programmed to cause apparatus 10 toproduce a series of inflated containers having the same lengthdimension, such as container 92′ with length dimension L1 (see FIG. 1),then switch to making a series of inflated containers such as 92″ havingthe shorter length dimension L2. Alternatively, the controller couldcause apparatus 10 to produce a series of inflated containers havingrandomly different length dimensions.

As a further alternative, a repetitive pattern of different containersizes can be produced. That is, apparatus 10 can be controlled to make arepeating pattern of inflated containers, wherein two or more containersin the pattern are dimensioned differently from one another. Thus, forexample, two relatively long containers 92′ followed by three relativelyshort containers 92″ can be produced. If the inflated containers in sucha pattern are separated only between the larger containers 92′, e.g.,via lines of weakness 66, a number of composite cushions 116 as shown inFIG. 16 may be made. Such cushions 116 comprise two differently-sizedinflated containers, i.e., two relatively long containers 92′ with threerelatively short containers 92″ in between the long containers.Advantageously, cushions 116 may be used in pairs as shown to protect aproduct 118 for packaging, e.g., by placement inside of a box. Such apackaging scheme as shown in FIG. 16 is merely one illustration of theflexibility in producing multi-dimensional packaging cushions that ismade possible because of the ability of apparatus 10 to make inflatedcontainers having different or variable lengths as desired.

Lines of weakness 66 may be formed between each inflated container or,where groups of connected inflated containers are used to form acompound cushion as shown in FIG. 16, such lines of weakness may beformed only between designated container groups, e.g., by makingperforation blade 68 separately actuatable from sealing elements 62 a,b.

Referring now to FIGS. 14-15, another optional feature of the presentinvention will be described, wherein apparatus 10 may further includeadditional sealing devices to create one or more additional longitudinalseals, i.e., in addition to longitudinal seal 106, in order to segmentthe inflated containers into discrete compartments. Thus, as shown inFIG. 14, apparatus 10′ may, for example, additionally include a thirdsealing device 120 for producing longitudinal seal 122 and a fourthsealing device 124 for producing longitudinal seal 126 to segment theresultant inflated containers 128 into discrete compartments 130 a-c.Third and fourth sealing devices 120, 124 may be the same as ordifferent from the second sealing device 22, but preferably are capableof producing longitudinal seals as shown. As with apparatus 10, firstsealing device 20 of apparatus 10′ (not shown in FIG. 14) may make theinflated containers 128 with different length dimensions, e.g., withinflated container 128′ having a different (longer) length than inflatedcontainer 128″ as shown.

A resultant cushion 132 from apparatus 10′ is shown in FIG. 15. Eachcushion 132 may comprise multiple inflated containers 128, some of whichare longer containers 128′ and some are shorter containers 128″, witheach type having discrete compartments 130 a-c. As also shown, cushion132 has been separated from other cushions, which may be the same as ordifferent from cushion 132 but nevertheless made from the same film web12, via ‘inter-cushion’ lines of weakness 66 only. That is, cushion 132as depicted in FIG. 15 contains no ‘intra-cushion’ lines of weakness,i.e., no lines of weakness between inflated containers 128, which arecomponents of cushion 132. As may be appreciated, cushion 132 mayadvantageously be used to substantially complete ensconce an article tobe packaged, e.g., a rectangular-box-shaped article.

Various applications for apparatus 10 are shown FIGS. 17-20. In FIG. 17,apparatus 10 is shown dispensing inflated containers 92, all having thesame dimensions, into box 134 with article 136 therein, wherein both theapparatus 10 and box 134 are mounted on a table 138. Apparatus ismounted on table 138 via table mount 140. FIG. 18 is similar to FIG. 17,except that box 134 with article 136 therein is disposed on conveyorbelt 142, and apparatus 10 is supported beneath the conveyor belt, e.g.,on the floor, via floor mount 144. FIG. 18 also shows an electricalpower cord 146, which may be used to supply electrical power toapparatus 10, e.g., to operate the sealing devices 20, 22, motor 30, anair blower to supply air to inflation assembly 23, etc.

FIG. 19 is similar to FIG. 18, except that a series of linked inflatedcontainers 92 are being accumulated on a storage roll 148, supported bymounting stand 150, for future use.

In FIG. 20, the relatively high-speed/high-capacity attributes ofapparatus 10 is being utilized to supply large quantities of inflatedcontainers 92 to remote packaging stations (not shown) by employing aseparate support 152 for a relatively large roll 154 of film web 12, andby transporting the resulting string of containers 92 to the remotepackaging stations via an overhead conveyor system 156, which mayinclude entrance rollers 158 as shown.

FIG. 21 illustrates an alternative apparatus 160, which is the same asapparatus 10 except that instead of forming leading-edge seal 32 a, thefirst (movable) sealing device forms a partial line of weakness 162 inone of the film plies only, e.g., in film ply 16 as shown. Such partialline of weakness 162, which may be positioned adjacent to a “full” lineof weakness 66 as discussed above, provides access to the inside of theresultant container 164. That is, partial line of weakness 162 allowsthe container 164 to be opened via resultant opening 166 as shown,whereby a product may be placed inside of the container. The partialline of weakness 162 may produced in the same manner as the “full” lineof weakness 66 as described above, except that the serrations of theperforation blade would be set to a depth to penetrate through film ply16 only, i.e., will not penetrate through both film plies 14 and 16, asis the case when making a full line of weakness 66.

The resultant containers 164 may be advantageously used with a suitableloading assembly (not shown) that directs a flowable product into theopenings 166 of the containers 164, which may be produced in series asdescribed above. A sealing device may then be used to seal closed theopenings 166 in order to enclose the product inside of the containers164.

Referring now to FIGS. 22-26, an alternative embodiment will bedescribed for the second sealing device, i.e., the sealing device thatforms a longitudinal seal to seal closed the containers. Similar tosecond sealing device 22 as discussed hereinabove, second sealing device168 produces a longitudinal seal 106 between two juxtaposed plies offilm 14, 16 that are conveyed along a longitudinal path of travel, thedirection of which through second sealing device 168 is generallyindicated by arrow 170 in FIGS. 24 and 25. As also describedhereinabove, the juxtaposed film plies 14, 16 include a series ofcontainers 34 therebetween. In accordance with the presently-describedembodiment, second sealing device 168 includes a sealing mechanism 172that forms a sealing zone 174 in the travel path in which longitudinalseal 106 is produced. Sealing device 168 also includes a pressuremechanism 176 that forms a pressure zone 178 in the film travel path inwhich the juxtaposed film plies 14, 16 are compressed. Sealing andpressure zones 174 and 178 are described in further detail below.

As noted above, the juxtaposed film plies 14, 16 may have an openlongitudinal edge 100 that provides openings 36 into each of thecontainers 34. As illustrated in FIG. 25, a stream of gas 180 may bedirected through openings 36 and into containers 34 by an inflationassembly 182 to sequentially inflate the containers 34. In this manner,inflated containers 92 are formed. Thus, as with second sealing device22, sealing mechanism 172 forms longitudinal seal 106 at or near thelongitudinal edge 100 to seal closed each of the openings 36 in theinflated containers 92.

As perhaps best shown in FIGS. 24 and 25, pressure zone 178 ispositioned between the containers 34 and the sealing zone 174 tosubstantially isolate the containers from the sealing zone. Suchisolation has been found to improve the integrity of the longitudinalseals and increase the longevity of the sealing mechanism 172.

Sealing mechanism 172 may comprise a pair of sealing members 184 a, bthat converge within the travel path to form sealing zone 174. Forexample, sealing members 184 a, b may comprise a pair ofcounter-rotating belts as shown, which may be guided and driven byrollers 185 a-d. Rollers 185 a and 185 d may be driven by a motor, whichis schematically indicated at 187. Thus, the belt-type sealing members184 a, b may rotate in opposite directions, may each have an outersurface 188 a, b that contacts a respective one of the juxtaposed filmplies 14, 16, and may also each have an inner surface 190 a, b.Longitudinal seal 106 is preferably a heat seal, i.e., athermally-induced weld between film plies 14, 16 along longitudinal seal106 as shown. Accordingly, the belts are preferably formed from amaterial capable of transferring sufficient heat to film plies 14, 16 toform a heat seal therebetween, e.g., metal, which may optionally containa non-stick coating on the outer surface 188 a, b thereof, such asTEFLON or other fluorocarbon material.

Sealing device 168 may further include at least one heating unit capableof transferring heat to the inner surface 190 a, b of at least one ofthe belt-type sealing members 184 a, b. As illustrated, two such heatingunits 192 a, b may be employed, one for each of the sealing members 184a, b. Such heating units 192 a, b may be comprise any material, e.g.,metal, that is capable of being heated sufficiently, e.g., viaelectrical resistive heating, to transfer enough heat through sealingmembers 184 a, b to form longitudinal seal 106 between film plies 14,16. The heating units 192 a, b may transfer heat indirectly torespective sealing members 184 a, b, e.g., via radiant or convectiveheat transfer, or directly as shown, i.e., by being in physical contactwith respective inner surfaces 190 a, b. As shown, heating units 192 a,b are preferably disposed adjacent to the sealing zone 174.

Depending upon the type of materials used for film plies 14, 16, theamount of heat transferred through sealing members 184 a, b, whethercooling blocks are present in the sealing zone, etc., actual formationof longitudinal seal 106 may only occur in that part of sealing zone 174to which heating units 192 a, b are adjacent. In this instance, theother parts of the sealing zone 174 nevertheless facilitate theformation of seal 106, e.g., by converging on the film plies upstream ofheating units 192 a, b to stabilize the film plies just prior sealformation and/or remaining in convergence with and cooling the seal justafter it is formed to promote solidification thereof under relativelystable conditions. To this end, a pair of cooling blocks 193 a, b mayalso be included as shown, i.e., just down stream of heating units 192a, b, to facilitate cooling and stabilization of the newly-formed seal106 by maintaining pressure on inner surface 190 a, b of sealing members184 a, b while also providing a heat sink to draw heat away from thesealing members and, therefore, away from the newly-formed seal 106.

Sealing device 168 may further include at least one, e.g., two as shown,compression units 194 a, b, which are capable of contacting and applyingpressure to the inner surface 190 a, b of at least one of the pair ofbelt-type sealing members 184 a, b. Such compression units 194 a, b maybe included to further stabilize the movement of sealing members 184 a,b through sealing zone 174 and/or to further isolate the sealing members184 a, b from the inflating/inflated containers 92. In this regard, thecompression units 194 a, b may be disposed between heating units 192 a,b and a respective one of the pressure members 186 a, b. Preferably, thecompression units 194 a, b are disposed adjacent to sealing zone 174 asshown. (For the purpose of clarity, compression units 194 a, b have beenomitted from FIG. 24.) Compression units 194 a, b may comprise simpleplate-like structures that are urged against respective inner surfaces190 a, b of sealing members 184 a, b as shown, or may be more elaboratestructures, e.g., including rotatable contact members, such as a seriesof wheels, that make actual contact with the inner surfaces 190 a, b.

Pressure mechanism 176 may comprise a pair of pressure members 186 a, bthat converge within the travel path to form pressure zone 178. Pressuremembers 186 a, b may be substantially parallel with sealing members 184a, b as shown, particularly such that sealing zone 174 and pressure zone178 are substantially parallel to one another.

Pressure members 186 a, b may comprise a pair of counter-rotating beltsas shown, which may be guided and driven by the same rollers 185 a-dthat guide and drive the rotation of belt-type sealing members 184 a, b.Thus, the belt-type pressure members 186 a, b may rotate about anoutboard track on rollers 185 a-d while belt-type sealing members 184 a,b rotate about an inboard track (see FIG. 22). The terms “outboard” and“inboard” are used with reference to support structure 195, with theinboard track of belt-type sealing members 184 a, b being closer to thewall 195 than the outboard track of belt-type pressure members 186 a, b.

Accordingly, the belt-type pressure members 186 a, b may rotate inopposite directions as shown, have respective outer surfaces 196 a, bthat contacts a respective one of the juxtaposed film plies 14, 16, andalso have respective inner surfaces 198 a, b. At least one compressionunit 200 may be included, which is capable of contacting and applyingpressure to the inner surface 198 a, b of at least one of the pair ofbelt-type pressure members 186 a, b. Preferably, two such compressionunits are included, one for each pressure member 186 a and 186 b (onlyone shown for clarity). Such compression units may be included to assistthe pressure members 186 a, b in applying a compressive force to thejuxtaposed film plies 14, 16. Thus, the compression units 200 mayadvantageously be disposed adjacent to pressure zone 178 as shown. Thecompression units 200 may comprise simple plate-like structures that areurged against respective inner surfaces 198 a, b of pressure members 186a, b or, as shown, may further include rotatable contact members, suchas a vertically-disposed group of wheels 202, that make actual contactwith the inner surfaces 198 a, b. By virtue of their counter-rotationand contact with/exertion of pressure against film plies 14, 16,pressure members 186 a, b may also serve to convey the film pliesthrough pressure zone 178.

Advantageously, by interposing pressure zone 178 between theinflating/inflated containers 92 and the sealing zone 174, the integrityof longitudinal seal 106 may be improved. Such interposition is believedto substantially isolate the inflating/expanding containers 92 fromsealing zone 174, thereby eliminating or at least reducing thetensioning force that the inflating containers would otherwise exert onthe longitudinal seal as it is being formed. Such tensioning forceresults from air 180 being injected into the containers 92 via inflationassembly 182, which produces outward pressure on film plies 14, 16 fromthe interior of the containers. This force is in direct opposition tothe binding force that seal 106 is intended to produce. Thus, thetensioning force exerted by the inflating containers has a tendency toweaken or disrupt the longitudinal seal as it is being formed. Byisolating the inflating/expanding containers 92 from sealing zone 174,pressure mechanism 176 can substantially prevent such tensioning forcefrom manifesting itself on the sealing mechanism 172 as it formslongitudinal seal 106.

The tensioning force from the expanding containers also has the effectof putting stress on the sealing mechanism itself, which is alreadyunder thermal stress from being subjected to numerous heating/coolingcycles. Thus, isolating the expanding containers 92 from sealing zone174 also helps to maintain the effective service life of the sealingmechanism 172. In addition, such isolation helps to prevent inadvertentcontact between the expanding sidewalls of the containers 92 and thesealing mechanism 172, which can otherwise cause deformation and/ordeflation of the containers.

With particular reference to FIGS. 23 and 26, it may be seen thatsealing zone 174 and pressure zone 178 both have separate points oftermination, with the sealing zone terminating at 204 and the pressurezone terminating at 206. Advantageously, sealing zone 174 may terminateat point 204, which is upstream of the point 206 at which pressure zone178 terminates as shown. This has been found to facilitate the releaseof the sealing members 184 a, b from the film plies 14, 16, e.g.,without sticking to the film plies, as can happen when sealing mechanism172 is heated. In other words, by extending the pressure zone 178farther downstream of the sealing zone 174, the relatively cool pressuremechanism 176 has the effect of continuously pulling the film plies fromthe relatively warm sealing zone 174 at termination point 204.

The termination of the seal zone upstream of the pressure zone may beaccomplished as shown by causing the sealing members 184 a, b to divergeupstream, at 204, of the point at which the pressure members 186 a, bdiverge, which occurs at 206. Upstream divergence of sealing members 184a, b may be achieved by providing rollers 185 b and c with a smallerdiameter on the inboard track 208 a, b than on the outboard track 210 a,b (see FIG. 23). Since sealing members 184 a, b rotate about the inboardtrack, they diverge from the travel path prior to the divergence ofpressure members 186 a, b. As shown, divergence of sealing members 184a, b at 204 generally occurs just downstream of the cooling blocks 193a, b; pressure members 186 a, b may diverge downstream at 206, which isthe point of tangential contact between rollers 185 a and 185 b.

By taking a smaller-diameter track at rollers 185 a, b, outwardly biasedidler wheels 212 a, b may advantageously be employed to give sealingmembers 184 a, b essentially the same path-length as pressure members186 a, b. As shown, both the sealing members 184 a, b and pressuremembers 186 a, b converge upstream of their respective points ofdivergence 204 and 206; such convergence points may occur atsubstantially the same point, indicated at 214, along the travel path.If desired, the points of divergence 204 and 206 could also occur at thesame point along the travel path.

Second sealing device 168 may be used in place of second sealing device22 in apparatus 10 or, alternatively, may be used in any other apparatusfor making inflated containers from a film web having two juxtaposedfilm plies. More generally, sealing device 168 may be used in any systemthat seals two juxtaposed film plies together.

As noted above, an alternative to first sealing device 20 may include aclamping member 216 as shown in FIG. 27, which may be used to produce aninflated cushion 217 having the seal pattern shown in FIG. 28. Clampingmember 216 may be identical to clamping member 42, except that clampingmember 216 includes a substantially linear sealing element 218 havingone or more non-linear regions 220. As shown, a pair of sealing elements218 a, b may be employed. Sealing elements 218 a, b function in the samemanner as sealing elements 62 a, b on clamping member 42, except thatthe resultant containers 222 have at least one change in longitudinaldimension along their transverse width.

That is, like clamping member 42, clamping member 216 may be used on asealing device that produces a series of seals 224 that aresubstantially transverse to the longitudinally-extending edges 98 and100 of the film web 12. A pair of seals 224 a, b may be madesimultaneously by clamping member 216, with seal 224 a corresponding tosealing element 218 a and seal 224 b corresponding to sealing element218 b. Such transverse seals 224 bond the film plies 14, 16 together toform containers 222 having a predetermined transverse width “W.”Containers 222 also have at least one change in longitudinal dimensionalong their transverse width W, and at least one opening 226.

Thus, for example, containers 222 may have two different longitudinaldimensions, L1 and 12 as shown, with alternating changes occurringbetween those two dimensions along the transverse width W of eachcontainer. Dimension L1 corresponds to the space between sealingelements 218 a, b at the substantially linear regions 228 thereof, whilethe smaller dimension L2 corresponds to the smaller space between thenon-linear regions 220 of sealing elements 218 a, b. In use, theportions of the container having the larger dimension L1 providecushioning while the portions having the smaller dimension L2 provideflexibility to the cushion 217, e.g., to allow it to be bent or foldedat such smaller dimension portions in order to wrap around and moreclosely follow the contour of an object to be packaged.

Although the non-linear regions 220 are illustrated as having a curved,semi-circular shape, the non-linear regions can have any shape thatdeviates from the otherwise lineal shape of the sealing elements 218 inorder to create containers having at least one change in longitudinaldimension along their transverse width W.

Clamping member 216 can be used as part of first sealing device 20 asdescribed above, wherein the sealing device is adapted to move with thefilm web and produce transverse seals as the web is conveyed along thetravel path, e.g., by attaching itself to the film web. More generally,however, clamping member 216 may be incorporated into any sealing devicethat is employed on an apparatus for making inflated containers from afilm web comprising two juxtaposed film plies, wherein the apparatusincludes a mechanism that conveys the film web along a longitudinal pathof travel, such as conveying mechanism 18; an inflation assembly, suchas inflation assembly 23 or 182, for inflating the containers 222 bydirecting a stream of gas into the openings 226 thereof; and a secondsealing device, such as device 22 or 168, for producing a longitudinalseal 106 to seal closed the openings 226 of the inflated containers 222.

If desired, each container 222 may be separated by a line of weakness 66as shown. Alternatively, groups of two or more such containers may beseparated by a line of weakness, i.e., not every container 222 need beseparated by a line of weakness. Further, the longitudinal dimension L1can vary between any two adjacent containers as desired.

The foregoing description of preferred embodiments of the invention hasbeen presented for purposes of illustration and description. It is notintended to be exhaustive or to limit the invention to the precise formdisclosed, and modifications and variations are possible in light of theabove teachings or may be acquired from practice of the invention.

1. An apparatus for making inflated containers from a film web havingtwo juxtaposed film plies, comprising: a. a mechanism that conveys thefilm web along a path of travel; b. a first sealing device for producingone or more seals that bond the film plies together to form a containerhaving at least one opening, said first sealing device moving with thefilm web and producing said one or more seals as the web is conveyedalong the travel path; c. an inflation assembly for inflating thecontainer by directing a stream of gas into the opening thereof; and d.a second sealing device for sealing closed the opening of the inflatedcontainer.
 2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said first sealingdevice attaches itself to the film web.
 3. The apparatus of claim 1,wherein said conveying mechanism moves both the film web and said firstsealing device along the travel path.
 4. The apparatus of claim 1,wherein said first sealing device is moved along the travel path by aconveying mechanism that is separate from said conveying mechanism forsaid film.
 5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said first sealingdevice includes a pair of clamping members, which engage opposingsurfaces of the film web and exert a compressive force to squeeze thefilm web between said clamping members, thereby attaching the firstsealing device to the film web.
 6. The apparatus of claim 1, whereinsaid first sealing device attaches itself to the film web at a startingposition, produces said one or more seals while attached to the film webas the web is conveyed along the travel path, then disengages from thefilm web and returns to said starting position.
 7. The apparatus ofclaim 6, wherein said first sealing device returns to said startingposition by force of gravity.
 8. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein thefilm web continues to move along the travel path without stopping as thefirst sealing device produces said one or more seals.
 9. The apparatusof claim 1, wherein said apparatus makes a series of inflated containersfrom the film web.
 10. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein said apparatusfurther includes a device for forming one or more lines of weaknessbetween each container or between groups of two or more containers. 11.The apparatus of claim 10, wherein said device for forming one or morelines of weakness is affixed to said first sealing device.
 12. Theapparatus of claim 9, wherein said apparatus makes inflated containersof substantially the same dimension.
 13. The apparatus of claim 9,wherein said apparatus makes inflated containers of varying dimensionsuch that two or more adjacent containers in the film web have differentdimensions.
 14. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein said apparatus makes arepeating pattern of inflated containers, wherein two or more containersin said pattern are dimensioned differently from one another.
 15. Theapparatus of claim 1, wherein the film web has a closed longitudinaledge and an opposing open longitudinal edge; the first sealing deviceforms first and second substantially transverse, spaced-apart seals thatdefine, along with the closed longitudinal edge of the film web, thecontainer; and the open longitudinal edge provides said at least oneopening into the container.
 16. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein theinflation assembly includes a nozzle from which the stream of gas exitsthe inflation assembly, said nozzle protruding into the openlongitudinal edge of the film web to inflate the container; and thesecond sealing device forms a third, substantially longitudinal sealthat intersects the first and second transverse seals, thereby sealingclosed the opening of the inflated container.
 17. The apparatus of claim16, wherein the first and second transverse seals extend from the closedlongitudinal edge of the film web and terminate a predetermined distancefrom the open longitudinal edge such that each of the juxtaposed filmplies have flanges that are not bonded together, said flanges extendingalong the open longitudinal edge; and at least a portion of the nozzleis positionable between the flanges so that, as said conveying mechanismconveys the web along the travel path, the nozzle moves longitudinallybetween the flanges.
 18. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein theapparatus makes a series of inflated containers from the film web; andthe first sealing device forms the first and second transverse seals ofadjacent containers substantially simultaneously while the first sealingdevice is attached to the film web.
 19. The apparatus of claim 15,wherein the first sealing device includes means for forming a line ofweakness between the first and second transverse seals of adjacentcontainers.
 20. The apparatus of claim 15, further including acontroller to control the actuation of the first sealing device, saidcontroller being operative to cause the first sealing device to form thefirst and second transverse seals with a specified amount of spacingwithin a given container, thereby producing containers with a specifiedlength dimension.
 21. The apparatus of claim 20, wherein the apparatusis adapted to make a series of inflated containers from the film web,with any two adjacent containers having a different length dimension.22. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said first sealing device makessubstantially linear seals.
 23. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein saidfirst sealing device makes substantially non-linear seals.
 24. Theapparatus of claim 1, further including a third sealing device forproducing one or more seals that segment the inflated container intodiscrete compartments.
 25. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said secondsealing device comprises: a. a sealing mechanism that forms a sealingzone in said travel path in which a longitudinal seal is produced toseal closed the opening of the inflated container; and b. a pressuremechanism that forms a pressure zone in said travel path in which thejuxtaposed film plies are compressed, said pressure zone positionedbetween the container and said sealing zone to substantially isolate thecontainer from said sealing zone.
 26. A method for making inflatedcontainers from a film web having two juxtaposed film plies, comprising:a. conveying the film web along a path of travel; b. producing one ormore seals that bond the film plies together to form a container havingat least one opening by moving a sealing device with the film web toproduce said one or more seals as the web is conveyed along the travelpath; c. directing a stream of gas into the opening of the container toinflate said container; and d. sealing closed the opening of theinflated container.
 27. An apparatus for making containers from a filmweb having two juxtaposed film plies, comprising: a. a mechanism thatconveys the film web along a path of travel; b. a sealing device forproducing one or more seals that bond the film plies together to form acontainer, said sealing device moving with the film web and producingsaid one or more seals as the web is conveyed along the travel path; andc. a device for producing a line of weakness to allow the container tobe opened, whereby a product may be placed inside of the container. 28.A device for producing a longitudinal seal between two juxtaposed pliesof film that are conveyed along a longitudinal path of travel, thejuxtaposed film plies including a series of containers therebetween,said device comprising: a. a sealing mechanism that forms a sealing zonein said travel path in which said longitudinal seal is produced; and b.a pressure mechanism that forms a pressure zone in said travel path inwhich the juxtaposed film plies are compressed, said pressure zonepositioned between the containers and said sealing zone to substantiallyisolate the containers from said sealing zone.
 29. The device of claim28, wherein the juxtaposed film plies have an open longitudinal edgethat provides openings into each of the containers; and said sealingmechanism forms said longitudinal seal at or near the longitudinal edgeof the juxtaposed film plies to seal closed each of the containeropenings.
 30. The device of claim 28, wherein a. said sealing andpressure zones both have separate points of termination; and b. saidsealing zone terminates at a point upstream of the point at which saidpressure zone terminates.
 31. The device of claim 28, wherein a. saidsealing mechanism comprises a pair of sealing members that convergewithin said travel path to form said sealing zone; and b. said pressuremechanism comprises a pair of pressure members that converge within saidtravel path to form said pressure zone.
 32. The device of claim 31,wherein a. said sealing members converge at an upstream point in saidtravel path and diverge at a downstream point; b. said pressure membersconverge at an upstream point in said travel path and diverge at adownstream point; and c. said sealing members diverge upstream of thepoint at which said pressure members diverge.
 33. The device of claim32, wherein the point at which said sealing members converge is atsubstantially the same point along said travel path as the point atwhich said pressure members converge.
 34. The device of claim 31,wherein said sealing members and said pressure members are substantiallyparallel to one another.
 35. The device of claim 31, wherein said pairof sealing members comprise a pair of belts, and wherein each of saidbelts a. rotate in opposite directions; b. have an outer surface thatcontacts one of said juxtaposed film plies; and c. have an innersurface.
 36. The device of claim 35, further including at least oneheating unit capable of transferring heat to the inner surface of atleast one of said pair of belts.
 37. The device of claim 36, furtherincluding at least one compression unit capable of contacting andapplying pressure to the inner surface of at least one of said pair ofbelts.
 38. The device of claim 37, wherein said compression unit isdisposed between said heating unit and said pressure members.
 39. Thedevice of claim 31, wherein said pair of pressure members comprise apair of belts, and wherein each of said belts a. rotate in oppositedirections; b. have an outer surface that contacts one of saidjuxtaposed film plies; and c. have an inner surface.
 40. The device ofclaim 39, further including at least one compression unit capable ofcontacting and applying pressure to the inner surface of at least one ofsaid pair of belts.
 41. The device of claim 28, wherein said pressuremechanism conveys the film plies through said pressure zone.
 42. Anapparatus for making inflated containers from a film web having twojuxtaposed film plies, comprising: a. a mechanism that conveys the filmweb along a path of travel; b. a first sealing device for producing oneor more seals that bond the film plies together to form a series ofcontainers having at least one opening; c. an inflation assembly forinflating the containers by directing a stream of gas into the openingthereof; and d. a second sealing device for producing a longitudinalseal to seal closed the opening of the inflated containers, said secondsealing device comprising (1) a sealing mechanism that forms a sealingzone in said travel path in which said longitudinal seal is produced;and (2) a pressure mechanism that forms a pressure zone in said travelpath in which the film plies are compressed, said pressure zonepositioned between the containers and said sealing zone to substantiallyisolate the containers from said sealing zone.
 43. An apparatus formaking inflated containers from a film web comprising two juxtaposedfilm plies having first and second longitudinally extending edgesdefining a transverse width therebetween, said apparatus comprising: a.a mechanism that conveys the film web along a longitudinal path oftravel; b. a first sealing device for producing a series of seals thatare substantially transverse to said longitudinally-extending edges,said transverse seals bonding the film plies together to form containershaving a predetermined transverse width, at least one change inlongitudinal dimension along their transverse width, and at least oneopening; c. an inflation assembly for inflating the containers bydirecting a stream of gas into the openings thereof; and d. a secondsealing device for producing a longitudinal seal to seal closed theopenings of the inflated containers.
 44. The apparatus of claim 43,wherein said first sealing device comprises a substantially linearsealing element having one or more non-linear regions.
 45. The apparatusof claim 43, wherein said first sealing device is adapted to move withthe film web and produce said transverse seals as the web is conveyedalong the travel path.
 46. The apparatus of claim 43, wherein said firstsealing device attaches itself to the film web.